Deposition (geology) facts for kids

Deposition is the geological process where material is added to a landform. This happens quite often. Some parts of a shoreline build up and grow out, whereas other parts of the shoreline erode and fall into the sea.

In deposition, wind and water lay down grains of material that has been eroded and transported from another place. Deposition happens when the forces which transport sediments are weaker than the forces of particle weight and friction. This causes a resistance to movement, and the particles drop down.

Deposition can also refer to the buildup of sediment from organically derived matter or chemical processes.

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Images for kids

Figure 1. Illustrates the sediment size distribution over a shoreline profile, where finer sediments are transported away from high energy environments and settle out of suspension, or deposit in calmer environments. Coarse sediments are maintained in the upper shoreline profile and are sorted by the wave-generated hydraulic regime

Figure 2. Map of Akaroa Harbour showing a fining of sediments with increased bathymetry toward the central axis of the harbour. Taken from Hart et al. (2009) and the University of Canterbury under contract of Environment Canterbury.